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HelloI spent the day at the hospital for MRI, Mamo, surgeon, blood tests and oncologist. Saw everyone everything is good. No cancer!! It's really the first time I said I'm in the clear! It's been 3 1/2 years since lumpectomy, chemo, hysterectomy and 35 rads. We have one of the largest breast center in the country and my dr said anything else? I said I was not able to have sex do to terrible pain. I feel bad for my husband. I have used over the counter Replens is did help a little bit. The surgeon told me about Estring. Its a vaginal ring that is inserted into the upper vagina once every 90 days. It has a small amount of estrogen that stays within that area. Has been approved for hormone positive breast cancer. In a short amount of time it has worked well and I'm happy to say I actually look forward to sex again. I thought I had lost that part of myself forever. Maybe this will help someone out there that's why I posted it:)

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20 Replies |Watch This Discussion | Report This| Share this:3 1/2 years out:) sex?HelloI spent the day at the hospital for MRI, Mamo, surgeon, blood tests and oncologist. Saw everyone everything is good. No cancer!! It's really the first time I said I'm in the clear! It's been 3 1/2 years since lumpectomy, chemo, hysterectomy and 35 rads. We have one of the largest breast center in the country and my dr said anything else? I said I was not able to have sex do to terrible pain. I feel bad for my husband. I have used over the counter Replens is did help a little bit. The surgeon told me about Estring. Its a vaginal ring that is inserted into the upper vagina once every 90 days. It has a small amount of estrogen that stays within that area. Has been approved for hormone positive breast cancer. In a short amount of time it has worked well and I'm happy to say I actually look forward to sex again. I thought I had lost that part of myself forever. Maybe this will help someone out there that's why I posted it:)

Thanks for posting this. Things do get better with time. I had an estrogen positive tumor, so between all the treatments it reeked havoc on me, but pain lessens with time. I take Arimidex now and that causes some dryness and itching as well. It is so hard to explain to those who have not been down this road how much we go thru!!!!Got to hang in there - glad things are better for you.

xoJenna

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Report This| Share this:3 1/2 years out:) sex?Thanks for posting this. Things do get better with time. I had an estrogen positive tumor, so between all the treatments it reeked havoc on me, but pain lessens with time. I take Arimidex now and that causes some dryness and itching as well. It is so hard to explain to those who have not been down this road how much we go thru!!!!Got to hang in there - glad things are better for you.

I am so glad you posted. Women need to know this can happen. And that there is help. I tell my onc everything so she was able to help with the est ring. It really helps a lot.We shouldn't have to give up that part of our lives.Thanks again for postingCindy

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Report This| Share this:3 1/2 years out:) sex?I am so glad you posted. Women need to know this can happen. And that there is help. I tell my onc everything so she was able to help with the est ring. It really helps a lot.We shouldn't have to give up that part of our lives.Thanks again for postingCindy

I was hormone pos. My onc said that the amount of estrogenis very small, and is only supposed to affect the vaginaltissue .There are risks to every medication. The ring isn't perfect but it makes sex possible. It was a quality of life issue for me.. Your onc or gyn can help you make decisions.Ciindy

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Report This| Share this:3 1/2 years out:) sex?I was hormone pos. My onc said that the amount of estrogenis very small, and is only supposed to affect the vaginaltissue .There are risks to every medication. The ring isn't perfect but it makes sex possible. It was a quality of life issue for me.. Your onc or gyn can help you make decisions.Ciindy

Jenna,Did you take tamoxifen? I was wondering if things were better on the arimidex? I am in menopause now but I amtolerating the tamoxifen really well so she hasn't switchedme yet. (I think she didn't want to ruin my summer with side effects)I think the tamoxifen causes a lot of my dryness.Or could just be menopause. Cindy

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Report This| Share this:3 1/2 years out:) sex?Jenna,Did you take tamoxifen? I was wondering if things were better on the arimidex? I am in menopause now but I amtolerating the tamoxifen really well so she hasn't switchedme yet. (I think she didn't want to ruin my summer with side effects)I think the tamoxifen causes a lot of my dryness.Or could just be menopause. Cindy

Cindy, yes I did take tamoxifen for 2 1/2 years. Chemo put me into menopause, and once I went 3 full years with no period they switched me to arimidex. I had slight nausea when I first started the tamoxifen but other than that no side effects.Arimidex does cause some bone aches and pains which come and go. I have been on that now going on 3 years and oncologist wants me on meds for a total of 7 years. I was stage II invasive dc, estrogen positive.I did not have dryness with tamoxifen but I did for the first year on arimidex. That seems better, but I do get occasional itching from it and slight headaches. I don't know sometimes if its the drugs or my body always adjusting. Chemo reeked havoc on me like it does to everyone.It is tough because menopause has so many side effects and these meds make things worse!!!! I have a prescription for the itching, and use Replens for the dryness. Good times, right??? LOL. Got to keep a sense of humor thru all this to stay sane!xoJenna

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Report This| Share this:3 1/2 years out:) sex?Cindy, yes I did take tamoxifen for 2 1/2 years. Chemo put me into menopause, and once I went 3 full years with no period they switched me to arimidex. I had slight nausea when I first started the tamoxifen but other than that no side effects.Arimidex does cause some bone aches and pains which come and go. I have been on that now going on 3 years and oncologist wants me on meds for a total of 7 years. I was stage II invasive dc, estrogen positive.I did not have dryness with tamoxifen but I did for the first year on arimidex. That seems better, but I do get occasional itching from it and slight headaches. I don't know sometimes if its the drugs or my body always adjusting. Chemo reeked havoc on me like it does to everyone.It is tough because menopause has so many side effects and these meds make things worse!!!! I have a prescription for the itching, and use Replens for the dryness. Good times, right??? LOL. Got to keep a sense of humor thru all this to stay sane!xoJenna

Jenna,You are right we need our sense of humor! there are a lotof good lubes on the market. I had really horrible drynesswith my second rnd of chemo the A/C. It is better sometimesand sometimes its not. You are right , good times! that'swhat it is about , our quality of life. I hope I don't get a lot of side effects when she switches me.Cindy

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Report This| Share this:3 1/2 years out:) sex?Jenna,You are right we need our sense of humor! there are a lotof good lubes on the market. I had really horrible drynesswith my second rnd of chemo the A/C. It is better sometimesand sometimes its not. You are right , good times! that'swhat it is about , our quality of life. I hope I don't get a lot of side effects when she switches me.Cindy

Hello ladies jenna and cindy I do not take any of the meds and I still have the dryness so it is not only do to the meds chemo and menopause bring on a lot good things we women wish never happen ! But hey like you all have said we do have a lot of good products out there to try out we could end up with a slip and slid in our beds lol. lol. it is the right time of year lol.lol. Just joking there are some good ones the doctors have told me about and they do work but at the same time who wants to have to play around with them all the time. I just wish my body would go back to the way it was before dx. But as the years go by and more things show up it is just a reminder I amnot getting any younger either so it is partly from dx and chemo and some maybe from age too yuck do we have to get older too !!!! lol.lol It should work like this since we had to deal with so much during dx treatment and all we get to skip the ageing part right lol.lol. that sounds good to me or at least 10 years of it maybe 15 years then we can start to age again but very slowly very very slowly lol.lol. Ok I know good wishing but you can dream right ok maybe it is all these drugs from surgery oh ya not on many of them just big dreams lol.lol. Have a great day ladies and heres to wishing we get better days with no dryness and a great time in the bedroom with out having to use anything for the dryness oh wouldn't that be great. Good luck all and HAPPY 4 TH OF JULY TO YOU ALL angel hugs Roberta,

Roberta

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Report This| Share this:3 1/2 years out:) sex?Hello ladies jenna and cindy I do not take any of the meds and I still have the dryness so it is not only do to the meds chemo and menopause bring on a lot good things we women wish never happen ! But hey like you all have said we do have a lot of good products out there to try out we could end up with a slip and slid in our beds lol. lol. it is the right time of year lol.lol. Just joking there are some good ones the doctors have told me about and they do work but at the same time who wants to have to play around with them all the time. I just wish my body would go back to the way it was before dx. But as the years go by and more things show up it is just a reminder I amnot getting any younger either so it is partly from dx and chemo and some maybe from age too yuck do we have to get older too !!!! lol.lol It should work like this since we had to deal with so much during dx treatment and all we get to skip the ageing part right lol.lol. that sounds good to me or at least 10 years of it maybe 15 years then we can start to age again but very slowly very very slowly lol.lol. Ok I know good wishing but you can dream right ok maybe it is all these drugs from surgery oh ya not on many of them just big dreams lol.lol. Have a great day ladies and heres to wishing we get better days with no dryness and a great time in the bedroom with out having to use anything for the dryness oh wouldn't that be great. Good luck all and HAPPY 4 TH OF JULY TO YOU ALL angel hugs Roberta,

HI ladies,Yes, the fun with our hormones and bodily functions just never ends does it? If I don't laugh about this stuff I would be in trouble for sure. Roberta, your slip and slide comment has me cracking up!!!! LOL!!!! Mother Nature sure didn't think a woman's body through when she put us together, did she????Unless you have embarked on this crazy journey, it is hard for people to understand just how much we have gone thru and continue to go thru every single day both physically and mentally. Menopause is rough enough, but throw in chemo, surgery, meds, etc. and yikes!!! We NEED our humor to survive for sure!I am just getting over some crazy virus these last few days that caused an upset stomach and sever headaches. I always wonder if I feel worse when I get sick because my immune system has never been quite the same since my diagnosis, despite the fact that I eat a pretty healthy diet and exercise. Oh the questions that will never really get answered.......Anyway, enjoy what is left of the weekend. Thankfully I am up and about today just in time for the workweek to start tomorrow YUK!

hugs,Jenna

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Report This| Share this:3 1/2 years out:) sex?HI ladies,Yes, the fun with our hormones and bodily functions just never ends does it? If I don't laugh about this stuff I would be in trouble for sure. Roberta, your slip and slide comment has me cracking up!!!! LOL!!!! Mother Nature sure didn't think a woman's body through when she put us together, did she????Unless you have embarked on this crazy journey, it is hard for people to understand just how much we have gone thru and continue to go thru every single day both physically and mentally. Menopause is rough enough, but throw in chemo, surgery, meds, etc. and yikes!!! We NEED our humor to survive for sure!I am just getting over some crazy virus these last few days that caused an upset stomach and sever headaches. I always wonder if I feel worse when I get sick because my immune system has never been quite the same since my diagnosis, despite the fact that I eat a pretty healthy diet and exercise. Oh the questions that will never really get answered.......Anyway, enjoy what is left of the weekend. Thankfully I am up and about today just in time for the workweek to start tomorrow YUK!

Jenna,It seams a lot of those nasty viruses are going around I was lucky so far I didn't get one of them plus be healing from this surgery. WOW that would not have been fun lol.lol. I sure do hope you are feeling better .. I know what you mean about being sick all weekend then just as the work week starts you are starting to feel better isn't that how it always seams to go ?!! Can't get sick during work and be better by the weekend no that would be to good for you lol. becuase then you might have a nice weekend for once right. !!! Well I hope the weather is nice so maybe you can get a nice walk in during your lunch get some outdoor time. See some sunshine and nice flowers maybe. I am sending you some of your pretty bright colorful sunflowers to put on your desk then to take home with you later. Hope that makes you feel better. Have a great day angel hugs Roberta,

Roberta

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Report This| Share this:3 1/2 years out:) sex?Jenna,It seams a lot of those nasty viruses are going around I was lucky so far I didn't get one of them plus be healing from this surgery. WOW that would not have been fun lol.lol. I sure do hope you are feeling better .. I know what you mean about being sick all weekend then just as the work week starts you are starting to feel better isn't that how it always seams to go ?!! Can't get sick during work and be better by the weekend no that would be to good for you lol. becuase then you might have a nice weekend for once right. !!! Well I hope the weather is nice so maybe you can get a nice walk in during your lunch get some outdoor time. See some sunshine and nice flowers maybe. I am sending you some of your pretty bright colorful sunflowers to put on your desk then to take home with you later. Hope that makes you feel better. Have a great day angel hugs Roberta,

Roberta,Feeling better but so tired still. Everyone around me is fighting this nasty virus. All you can do is rest and drink lots of liquids.The bright and cheery sunflowers definitely have made me feel so much better - thank you!!!!!We have humidity and rain here. The weather really has been so so this summer. Either too hot to be outdoors or rainy. I just want to be outside before the dang winter comes again!!!Have a great week and thanks for the well wishes.Having a nice big bowl of mango sorbet - yummy!

Jenna

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Report This| Share this:3 1/2 years out:) sex?Roberta,Feeling better but so tired still. Everyone around me is fighting this nasty virus. All you can do is rest and drink lots of liquids.The bright and cheery sunflowers definitely have made me feel so much better - thank you!!!!!We have humidity and rain here. The weather really has been so so this summer. Either too hot to be outdoors or rainy. I just want to be outside before the dang winter comes again!!!Have a great week and thanks for the well wishes.Having a nice big bowl of mango sorbet - yummy!

Jenna

An_253084 responded:

Yes, it has been 3 years for me as well. The Estring and patch combo I used prior to my estrogen positive cancers (both breasts). I had lumpectomies and radiation for treatments. The drug of choice for me is Tamoxifen as my bone density was low as well. My husband of over 40 years has been so understanding, inability to successfully have sex from breast discomfort to dryness and severe pain in the vagina. I finally talked with my oncologist and she said that the estring is good but she wanted me to try something with even less estrogen, Vagifem but use it daily until things improve. Time will tell, it does cause me to have headaches but all in the name of love! Just to be normal might be possible again! :0)

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Report This| Share this:3 1/2 years out:) sex?Yes, it has been 3 years for me as well. The Estring and patch combo I used prior to my estrogen positive cancers (both breasts). I had lumpectomies and radiation for treatments. The drug of choice for me is Tamoxifen as my bone density was low as well. My husband of over 40 years has been so understanding, inability to successfully have sex from breast discomfort to dryness and severe pain in the vagina. I finally talked with my oncologist and she said that the estring is good but she wanted me to try something with even less estrogen, Vagifem but use it daily until things improve. Time will tell, it does cause me to have headaches but all in the name of love! Just to be normal might be possible again! :0)

I am five years out from diagnosis surgery reconstruction chemo and radiation. My breast cancer was stage IIIC metastatic. I am very thankful I have made it all the way through and am finished with everything now however I do continue to have the same problems as I am reading from all of you about vaginal dryness and lack of desire. My tumor tested as not hormone receptor positive or negative my oncologist wants me to have no hormone therapy at all this has been a very Difficult situation to work through for me and my husband I do not have any desire Like I used to have. I use Replens and other lubes as well but nothing really seems to take away the situation. I get very depressed about the whole situation no sex no desire weight gain and chemo brain it seems pretty overwhelming but I am glad that I have made it past all the treatment and such. I have never had the opportunity to talk with another cancer survivor who has the same issues.

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Report This| Share this:3 1/2 years out:) sex?I am five years out from diagnosis surgery reconstruction chemo and radiation. My breast cancer was stage IIIC metastatic. I am very thankful I have made it all the way through and am finished with everything now however I do continue to have the same problems as I am reading from all of you about vaginal dryness and lack of desire. My tumor tested as not hormone receptor positive or negative my oncologist wants me to have no hormone therapy at all this has been a very Difficult situation to work through for me and my husband I do not have any desire Like I used to have. I use Replens and other lubes as well but nothing really seems to take away the situation. I get very depressed about the whole situation no sex no desire weight gain and chemo brain it seems pretty overwhelming but I am glad that I have made it past all the treatment and such. I have never had the opportunity to talk with another cancer survivor who has the same issues.

HelloMy name is jessica i saw your profile today at (webmd.com)and became interested in you,i will also like to know you the more,and i want you to send a mail to my email address so i can give you my picture for you to know whom l am.Here is my email address(jessica_2vndaye@yahoo.com).I believe we can move from here.I am waiting for your mail to my email address above.jessica.(Remember the distance or colour does not matter but love matters alot in life)Please reply me with my email address

HelloMy name is jessica i saw your profile today at (webmd.com)and became interested in you,i will also like to know you the more,and i want you to send a mail to my email address so i can give you my picture for you to know whom l am.Here is my email address(jessica_2vndaye@yahoo.com).I believe we can move from here.I am waiting for your mail to my email address above.jessica.(Remember the distance or colour does not matter but love matters alot in life)Please reply me with my email address

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